I am a Penny | Teen Ink

I am a Penny

November 29, 2009
By YenaYun SILVER, Bellingham, Washington
YenaYun SILVER, Bellingham, Washington
6 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
I am thankful that I have gas. -Ellen Degeneres


I am a penny. You may not even know that I exist. You never, ever appreciate my existence, do you? It seems that nobody cares for me. That’s probably why I never get to have the fun that quarters easily get. I have always been so jealous of a quarter. It’s so not fair! I never get to ride the vending machines! Vending machines are the dream world of every existing penny. As I am a penny myself, it is my dream too. I’ve tried everything to slide down that slope of joy. I’ve even tried sneaking into the machine just to be splattered out again. How come pennies get no respect while quarters get all the opportunities and can be accepted everywhere? I force my way through with all my power! It never works! Maybe you are right. Maybe I’m the useless one.
People always seem to drop our race into the sewer because they think we are unnecessary. I will prove the two legged humans wrong! I will ride the vending machine. I know, once the vending machine knows the smooth, light feeling of carrying a penny down the slide, he will want more of us to go
in. This way, humans and quarters will know that we are just as useful as any other coin in the world. This has always been my dream. I am determined to ride the bubble gum machine. (The penny holds his fist up in the air before closing his eyes with a dreamy expression.)
I can imagine the glamorous feeling of going down the slide. The slide will be like clouds floating down. The swirl of the ride will feel like vanilla cream, smooth and everlasting. (Sighs.) I know this dream may not come true, but it is what I dearly wish for. You know what? I’m going to do whatever it takes to make it come to reality. This is why I live, and I’m sure this is why the coin company made me.

The author's comments:
As I have aged, I have noticed that pennies always became the last resort. All around me, I will hear people say, “Oh. It’s just a penny.” This, I thought was an unacceptable remark to hear. I would walk to a vending machine, put in a penny, and it will just splatter it out like pennies were too useless to accept. I needed to find some way to express what the pennies might feel. Turns out, I get to let out my discomfort through this script style writing.

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